Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
Blood on the Moon
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part Four: Eyes of the Vampire
Rating: PG-13
Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury were stunned at what they saw at the bottom of the hole the Scout of Fire dug with her powers. The casket Sailor Moon knelt next to, the empty casket that should've contained the body of their deceased friend Molly shocked them.
"Amy? You said a short while ago that there was a logical and rational explanation for this mess," said a visibly shaken Mars, almost in a whisper. "Well, if there is one, I'd sure love to hear it."
Mercury, who's world centered around cold, clinical data and modern science, things she could see, hear, touch and analyze felt as if reality itself had been brutally pulled out from under her feet. For the first time in years, perhaps ever, the Scouts' resident genius was completely at a loss for answers. "So would I. Raye, I apologize for ridiculing you earlier. I have never been so horribly wrong about anything in my entire life."
At the bottom of the hole, Sailor Moon's world had spun dangerously out of control as she felt herself drowning in a bottomless ocean of despair. The private war she waged for days to keep her sanity in the face of Molly's violent death had been difficult enough as every time she closed her eyes, Moon saw the horrific vision of Molly's smiling, blood drenched corpse. The nightmares that produced alone were nearly enough to push her over the brink. Now, this. As she stared into the empty casket, Moon, faced with the prospect of her best friend having become a monster didn't know what to do. The only thought in her tortured, anguished mind was one of utter and total defeat.
Maybe I should just stay here. Pull the dirt in over my head and give up, she thought. I failed Molly while she was alive, now I've failed her in death as well. My whole life has been nothing but one huge, cosmic joke that never ends. What's the sense in prolonging the misery?
Then, Moon thought back to this afternoon, and the vow she had made to find the killer. Moon realized there was more at stake than just Molly. The demon who took her life was still out there, and it was Moon's sworn duty to find him and stop him so other families would not have to suffer like her. For four years Moon proudly called herself 'The Champion of Justice', now she felt it was time to live up to her calling. Never in her life had she taken that role as seriously as she had at this very moment. Moon would see to it that the killer faced the ultimate justice. Death. Calling again on her courage, Moon pushed aside the despair and climbed out of the hole where the others were waited silently.
Mars, her eyes moist and filled with deep concern walked up to Moon and hugged her tight. "Oh, Serena, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. Are you going to be all right?"
Moon, her body ramrod stiff, shook her head, deriving no comfort from being in the arms of her friend. "No, Raye. I'm not. I don't think I'll ever be all right again. But that doesn't matter. Nothing matters except stopping this nightmare, and the monster behind it."
"What do we do next?" Mercury wanted to know. Fear was invading her mind and heart and she didn't bother to hide it from her face.
"First things first, we get the hell out of here. That racket we made is bound to bring someone running," answered Moon, her face hardened into a grim mask as she broke the embrace. "Then we warn Lita and Mina about this. They'll need to know what's happened. With Molly having become a vampire, there's no telling where she'll go....or who she'll go after!"
To the undead creature that used to be Molly Baker, life, or rather, to quote her beloved Nephlyte, existence, had never been sweeter.
As she walked the streets of downtown Tokyo, her mind flashed back to only an hour ago when she awakened in her casket after what felt like an endless sleep. Her first experience was that of joy because she could hear Nephlyte calling to her from above. She tried to go to him but was blocked in by the solid wood of the box she lay in. That frustrated her. She then listened as Nephlyte instructed her to concentrate on becoming one with the air and to float out of her tomb. Nodding, Molly did as she was told, putting every bit of willpower she possessed to the task, suddenly, she felt her body become weightless and she was moving through the casket, then through the six feet of earth she was buried in with all the ease of climbing a flight of stairs.
An instant later, Molly, her body transformed into a mist list state floated through to the surface where Nephlyte waited patiently. Once free of her grave, Molly concentrated and her body solidified before her lover who smiled from satisfaction.
"Excellent, Molly. You did well. Already, you have begun to master your newfound powers. It was more than worth the wait to see you as you are now," he said. In one hand, Nephlyte held a bag which he gave to her. "Your gown, lovely as it is would be out of place for the streets of this city. This will be much more suitable for you, my dear."
Molly took the bag and removed the clothing, all in black from it. Minutes later, Molly struck a pose before her lover in a low cut bustier, tight leather miniskirt, leather jacket and thigh high, spike heeled boots. A final touch was a pair of dark sunglasses she put on.
"How do I look, darling?" Molly asked, flashing a huge smile that revealed bright white fangs, saliva dripping from them like venom.
Nephlyte applauded. "Beautiful. Go. Explore. Learn what you can do. Drink when you must when the thirst comes over you as it surely will. But be careful not to kill. Our activities are slowly coming under scrutiny from quarters currently unknown to me. We must be cautious until the time of the rebirth."
"I understand. Nephlyte? What does blood taste like?" Molly asked.
"I am glad you asked. Allow me to offer you a sample." Nephlyte opened his shirt, then he took off one of his gloves, revealing long, pointed nails which he used to rake across his bare chest, drawing blood.
Molly embraced her lover and drank the blood that seeped from the gash on his chest. The taste of blood on her lips, thick, rich, and sweeter than anything she had ever drank when she was alive excited her in ways she couldn't put into words. All at once, Molly knew she would have to have more of this nectar. Much, much more.
"Delicious," she purred, her mouth red from the blood she licked clean with her tongue like a cat, savoring every last drop. "I will enjoy this new life. As long as it is with you, my love."
Nephlyte smiled. Then he took Molly into his arms, crushed her against his chest and kissed her. Molly's emotions exploded as she thrilled to the feel of Nephlyte's lips pressing forcefully against hers, his warm, flickering tongue hungrily probing the interior of her mouth and the feel of his strong hands caressing her slim, lithe body. Molly wasted no time returning her lover's passion with uncontrolled abandon that betrayed her tender years, wanting perhaps more than blood itself than to have him inside her. The sheer magic of the moment left Molly dazed from ecstasy.
"Go now. I have a task to perform elsewhere. But be sure to return before sunrise. My mind will guide you to your new home."
That was an hour ago. As Molly prowled the streets, enjoying the sights and sounds of the city, her senses, more acute than that of a wolf in the wild made the experience heady and exciting. Especially her heightened sense of smell as Molly was nearly rendered intoxicated from the rich, pleasurable aroma of blood that emanated from every human she saw. Only she no longer saw them as people, but as cattle, food for her growing and terrible appetite. Molly saw herself as a predator, and the helpless creatures around her were her prey. Nothing more. Her lips parted in a devilish grin. Her old life had been so dull and boring and insignificant. She felt like she was just a cog in a monstrous engine. Small and puny. Now she stood out from the crowd. She was a hunter. A killer. And she loved it. Suddenly, Molly felt her stomach cramp up, her throat go desert dry from thirst. It would soon be time to hunt in earnest.
As she walked through the Ginza, hips swaying seductively, her heels clicking in rhythm on the pavement like a metronome, Molly attracted plenty of attention on the streets, mainly from rambunctious young men who saw the attractive monster and were thrilled with the presentation. Perhaps some of them even saw her as a potential conquest. That thought made Molly smile. Little did they know, she thought. Little did they know. In life, boys would have nothing to do with her because she had been so....mousy. Now was a much different story. Then, out of nowhere, Molly saw the familiar face of a boy as he left a computer software store from across a street, a bag in hand and whistling a happy tune. Molly recognized the thin, smallish frame, the spiky brown hair and the ridiculously thick lensed glasses instantly. Melvin.
"How nice. An old friend will give me something to drink," Molly whispered. A devilish smile curled her lips. "I knew I could always depend on Melvin."
The surveillance of Melvin by Lita and Mina was kept simple. Mina, reluctantly forced to dress down from what the others bluntly called her 'hooker look' carefully followed Melvin at street level while Lita, too tall to be inconspicuous kept him in sight from the rooftops with binoculars as Sailor Jupiter. For several hours, they followed Melvin as he meandered through the neighborhood, first to the library, then a friend's house, finally the arcade where he played video games and chatted with Andrew.
Then, close to nightfall, Melvin headed for the nearby train station. Mina hadn't counted on that and had to act fast or she'd lose him. Mina just managed to board a car on the same train Melvin took, it's destination, downtown Tokyo. With Jupiter unable to follow directly, Mina activated the homing circuit on her wrist communicator, enabling the Scout of Thunder to follow, which she did with ease, since all the Scouts were capable of running at great speeds, which came to well over sixty miles an hour after Mercury timed everyone three years ago. Yet, Jupiter barely reached half that speed since the train wasn't an express and made numerous stops on the way to Tokyo Station.
By the time Melvin had left the station, with Mina several yards behind and Jupiter observing from the rooftops of the skyscrapers above, it was dark and the city had come alive with a dazzling display of light and sound. It was at that moment Mina and Jupiter got a frantic and, in their minds insane call from Sailor Moon, warning them that Molly had been killed by a vampire and had just risen from her grave as one. At first they dismissed the warning, but something in Moon's voice told them she was serious. Still, the notion of Molly having become a vampire was simply too difficult for them to grasp.
From across a wide, traffic choked street, Mina, watching as Melvin left a software store noticed a girl casually following him some one hundred feet behind. Mina frowned and activated her communicator.
"Jupiter. Something's up. Melvin's picked up a tail. It's a girl, and from the looks of her, she dresses even tackier than I do."
"Skip the fashion report, Mina. I've lost sight of Melvin, what with all these skyscrapers around. What does she look like?" came back Jupiter's voice over the speaker.
Mina strained to look but couldn't see much on the crowded street. "Can't get a good look at her face, she's got shades on. But her hairstyle, and the bow she's wearing, I'd swear it's just like....oh, Lord! Jupiter! Get down here! Fast! I think it's Molly!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive! Melvin's just turned off onto a side street! And Molly's following him! I'm going after them! I'll keep my circuit open so you can find me!"
"Wait! Don't! Transform first! If Molly's a vampire like Serena said, you won't stand a chance against her in human form!"
"There's no time! And I can't morph in the middle of the freaking Ginza!" Mina snapped, looking for an opening in the snarled traffic to bolt across the street. "If I don't keep them in sight, I'll lose them! Warn the others! Hurry!"
From atop a fifteen story skyscraper, Jupiter scowled. "Shit!" She then changed the frequency on her communicator. "Serena! Amy! Raye! Red alert! We've seen Molly!"
"Where?" came back Moon's anxiety filled voice.
"Downtown, in the Ginza! How soon can you guys get here?"
"We've already left the cemetery! Ten minutes tops! Just follow her! Don't take any action unless you absolutely have to!"
"It's already too late for that! Molly's tailing Melvin! I think he's on her dinner menu! And Mina's gone after them in human guise!"
"Dammit! Then take Molly down, Jupiter! Hard! We've never fought vampires before, so there's no telling just how powerful she is! Don't pull any punches!"
"Roger! Mina's left her circuit open! Pick it up now! I'm outta here!"
Peering down at the street, Jupiter took a deep breath and jumped off the building. Even though the Scouts were incapable of flight, they used their powers along with enormous amounts of concentration to negate the pull of gravity by almost half in order to leap or descend from great heights. And since Jupiter was the strongest of the Scouts, a fifteen story drop was of no more consequence to her than a jump of five feet to a normal human being. With the agility of a cat, Jupiter landed on the balls of her feet in front of a throng of suddenly startled pedestrians and, in one fluid motion, crouched on her haunches, leaped clear across the street and hit the pavement running. In no more than twenty seconds, the Scout of Thunder was on the ground. But would it be in time to save her teammate, and Melvin?
Melvin tried to enjoy a normal existence, even though Molly had been buried only a few hours earlier. He thought that a day out, doing the sort of things he liked: being with friends, studying, playing at the arcade, and now picking up a new flight simulator game for his computer would cheer him up. For the most part it had. He remembered Serena's speech at the church, urging everyone to go on living, for that would be what Molly wanted. Melvin smiled, thinking how he was actually taking advice from Serena of all people, the class slacker.
"Melvin," called a voice from behind him in a taunting sing-song. A disturbingly familiar voice. "Oh, Mellll-vin!"
Melvin looked behind him and saw the girl, some fifty feet behind him, her face partially hidden by shadow as she casually followed him. Something in the back of his mind told him not to stop for whoever this girl was. Something about her unnerved him, made his skin crawl, so he quickened his pace and darted onto a small side street, far from the main thoroughfares of the Ginza.
"Mellll-vin! Don't run from me! I just want to talk!" said the eerily sounding voice. The more Melvin heard it, the more it frightened him because it was so familiar. Nervous and sweating, Melvin broke into a run and ducked into an alley where he willed himself to calm down, lest the sound of his labored breathing give himself away. The only sounds he heard were the sharp clicking of a woman's high heels. And that voice.
"Mellll-vin! You can run, but you can't hide! Not from me!"
It took all of Melvin's will power to keep from screaming as the sound of that voice seemed to rip his sanity away. Then, the footsteps stopped and all was quiet. Curious, Melvin decided to take a chance and peered around the corner. What he saw brought forth the scream he desperately fought down from his throat.
Standing in front of him was Molly, staring at him with the most malevolent, the most inhumanly evil look he had ever seen on the face of another human being. There was no denying that it was her. That alone made it impossible to him.
"What's the matter, Melvin? Aren't you glad to see me?" she asked.
"No. It can't be. You're dead," a terrified Melvin squealed.
"Oh, I know. But I'm much better now. Want to see how much?" Molly opened her mouth and Melvin gasped when he saw her fangs. "Guess what, darling? It's dinnertime!"
Before the horrified Melvin could react, Molly leaped on him and sank her fangs into his neck. Melvin screamed from pain as Molly ruthlessly tore open his flesh and began to drink. The incredible, orgasmic rush she got from the hot, salty river of blood flowing down her throat was unbelievable. Although Nephlyte said not to kill, Molly lost control and couldn't help herself. She drank Melvin's blood greedily, gulping it down with reckless abandon. Unable to get enough, she was determined to suck him dry. Never in her life had anything tasted so good. So sweet. So delicious. In her now warped mind, Molly would willfully kill every man, woman and child on Earth to take the nectar they carried in their veins.
"Molly! No! Stop!" a voice commanded, interrupting her feast. Reluctantly, Molly pulled back and whirled around at whoever was foolish enough to interfere in her feast. She smiled because it was yet another familiar face. Sailor Venus. She let Melvin's limp body drop to the ground.
"Sweet Jesus!" cried Venus, eyes wide from terror as seeing the nightmare before her. Once Mina had followed Melvin and Molly down the side street, she figured it was secluded enough to transform. She felt sick to her stomach as the delay gave Molly the time she needed to attack Melvin who was unconscious, blood seeping from the wound in his throat. "I didn't want to believe it, but it's true! Molly! What's happened to you?"
Molly, her mouth red from Melvin's blood glared at the Scout. "The same thing that's going to happen to you, Venus." Just as the creature prepared to leap, blinding light filled the alley.
"Jupiter Thundercloud....ZAP!"
Before Molly could move, a powerful ball of lightning struck the ground directly in front of her with an ear piercing explosion, throwing her fifty feet down the alley. Jupiter, the antenna up on her tiara, sparks dancing from it ran up to Venus.
"You okay? Did she bite you?" a worried Jupiter asked.
"No! But she got to Melvin before I could stop her!" said a highly distraught Venus. "Sailor Moon's right! Molly's become a monster!"
"A monster? That's a matter of opinion," said Molly. Walking up to the girls, Molly's clothing was scorched and smoking from the lightning strike, her face was twisted from pain, something she found she didn't like. And that angered her. "But then, Serena was always one to exaggerate."
Venus and Jupiter glanced briefly at each other, their faces betraying enormous shock.
Molly feigned surprise. "Oh! You mean Serena didn't tell you? Yes, I know my former best friend is Sailor Moon. We talked about that the day before I died. Speaking of death, let me show you miserable cunts just what it's like, firsthand!"
The two Scouts took up defensive positions, unsure of what to expect from the creature that was once their friend.
"Lieutenant, a report's come in from Tokyo Memorial Gardens. Someone dug up a grave there not too long ago," said Detective Hiyata, rushing into Fukoda's office.
Lieutenant Fukoda, pouring over reports on the Deep Throat case looked up at his young partner with an expression of annoyance on his face. "Not to sound unfeeling, Shiro, but we've got lots bigger fish to fry right now. What does that have to do with our case?"
"Plenty. The grave in question was Molly Baker's."
The veteran cop did a double take, his mouth falling open. "What? Victim number ten? Are you certain?"
"Dead certain, pardon the pun. I just got positive confirmation from the night manager. The girl's casket was cracked open like a walnut....and the body's missing."
"Missing? Good Lord! Did anybody see anything?"
Hiyata shook his head. "Negative. And I can't imagine how, considering what it must've taken to dig that hole. But there were footprints all over the place. Women's footprints. The Scouts, they all wear high heels, don't they?"
Fukoda frowned. Despite priding himself on his powers of observation, it never occurred to him to notice what sort of footwear the Scouts sported. "That doesn't add up. Sailor Moon's on the warpath, she wants the killer's head on a platter because the Baker girl was her friend. That's why I turned down her help, because if Moon's who I think she is, she'll turn this case into a blood soaked vendetta. It wouldn't make sense for her, or the Scouts to dig up the girl's grave and take the body."
"Maybe, maybe not. But the officers on the scene reported that the gravesite wasn't merely dug up, it looked like it had been hit by a bomb. And we've both seen just what the Scouts can do. If they weren't responsible for this, then who was?"
Before Fukoda could respond, his phone rang and he picked it up. "Fukoda here! What? Where? Got it! We're on our way!"
"What is it, sir?" Hiyata asked.
"Trouble!" Fukoda growled, quickly rising from his chair. "Sailor Jupiter was just seen in the Ginza! And people heard an explosion nearby! Looks like the Scouts may have found the killer! Let's go!"
The Dark Man had waited a long time for this. A very long time.
Standing outside the Tokyo National Museum, he smiled. If he were human, he would almost be giddy from anticipation. Everything was going according to plan. With the addition of Molly, the sacred pentagon was now complete, all was in readiness for the next step on the path to greatness. A new beginning for he and his flock.
Thinking about Molly set something to stirring in his loins, a feeling he had not experienced since he was alive. Something he saw in Molly, from the first moment he laid eyes on her photo in Roy Carlton's wallet excited him like nothing else had in centuries. For certain, the Dark Man had entranced, bedded then killed scores of women since his initiation into the world of the undead, almost to the point where females had become nothing more than cattle to him, but Molly was different, much different, and he couldn't understand why. Was it merely sexual? Or was it more? He honestly wasn't sure. Something he saw in Molly's face, a memory from so long ago....
Pushing those thoughts aside, thoughts he deemed foolish, the Dark Man approached the front doors of the museum. It was time to go to work. With but a thought, he transformed into a fine grey mist and seeped through the crack in the door and into the building. Maintaining his mist form, the Dark Man floated through the main lobby, completely unseen by the security cameras and undetected by highly sensitive motion devices. The Dark Man floated up the stairs and onto the second floor. Once there, he approached an exhibit hall with a sign above the archway that read: "Demons of Japanese Mythology".
Confident that his presence went unnoticed, the Dark Man reverted to flesh and blood form. With a casual air that belied the excitement he felt, the Dark Man walked inside the hall. All around him on pedestals stood wax statues of hideous, fearsome creatures called oni. The Dark Man walked deeper into the hall until he stood before a particularly repulsive monster that resembled an ogre in appearance. Wearing nothing but a loincloth, the creature stood seven feet tall with a thick coat of blue black fur, a bulbous head that had a tangled shock of long, stringy hair, huge yellow eyes and pointed teeth and long, sharp claws on its hands and feet. Standing to the side was a display case which contained a yellowed, ancient scroll in an open, ornate metal container, and on the glass case was a plaque that read: "Kiragama: The Wishing Demon".
The Dark Man stared long and hard at the creature, impressed with its appearance. Then he looked down at the case and nodded. The scroll inside the case was what he sought. It would bring his most cherished dream to life. When the Dark Man touched the display case, loud, jangling bells went off. The Dark Man frowned, not having anticipated the case being alarmed. Angry at his over-confidence, he smashed the glass with a gloved fist, removed the container with the scroll which he closed and turned to leave when he found himself face to face with two museum guards. Each held a handgun in a firm grip.
"Freeze! Don't move!" ordered one guard, an older man with a graying moustache. "How the devil did you get in here?"
The Dark Man glowered hatefully at the guards, considering them and their puny weapons far beneath his notice. "That is none of your concern, old fool. Funny that you mention the Devil, for, as far as you're concerned, that is who I am. Your death is now at hand."
"Yeah, right! We've got the guns, pal! And the cops are on their way. You're not going anywhere!" growled the other guard, a younger, more muscular man.
"I beg to differ." Before the guards could blink, the Dark Man sprang upon them. While cradling the container in his left arm like a newborn baby, the Dark Man grabbed the older guard by the throat in his right and squeezed, a second later, the man's neck snapped like a dry twig and he was dead. Tossing the lifeless body aside as if it were nothing more than a crumpled piece of paper, the Dark Man locked eyes with the younger guard who pointed his gun at him with shaking hands. The man, terrified at watching his partner so brutally killed desperately wanted to shoot the intruder, but couldn't pull the trigger, no matter how hard he tried.
"Shoot yourself," the Dark Man ordered, his eyes glowering.
The guard, his eyes fixed on those of the Dark Man gasped as he slowly brought the gun up and pointed it at his right temple. Tears poured down his face as, despite his best efforts, he slowly pulled the trigger.
Ignoring the alarm, the Dark Man glared at the lifeless bodies sprawled at his feet. He hated to have done what he did, letting his temper get the best of him. So human, he thought. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily subdued the guards without resorting to force and drank their blood. Now that they were dead, the sweet fluid in their veins had gone cold and was useless to him. The Dark Man decided it was time to leave. Now that he had the scroll, it was important to return it to the sanctuary in one piece, or all his efforts would have gone to naught. Seeing a nearby window, the Dark Man ran up to it, then leaped through it, landing on the sidewalk sixty feet below.
As he turned towards the east and home, he craned his head to the west when he heard a voice in his mind, the voice of Molly. He sensed anger in Molly, followed by pain. Pain? That was not possible. Molly was beyond pain now. Nevertheless, the Dark Man felt her discomfort as acutely as if it were his own. That could only mean one thing. Someone was attacking her. The Dark Man scowled, his face a mask of rage as black as his clothing. He attuned him mind to hers and ordered Molly to tell him where she was. Once he got a fix on her, the Dark Man pushed off. Molly was the cog to the success of his plan. She was special to him. Very special. Without her, he would have nothing. Whoever dared to attack her would face the full fury of his wrath.
"Shove your threats, Molly! The Sailor Scouts don't frighten easily!" Growled Jupiter as Molly stalked her and Venus. "The first blast was a warning shot out of deference to who you used to be. Take another step and my next one turns you to charcoal!"
"Fool! You don't know what you're sealing with! I'm invincible!" yelled Molly who with incredible speed, leaped for Jupiter's throat. But the Scout of Thunder was ready for Molly's charge. Pushing Venus out of the way, Jupiter grabbed Molly in mid-leap and, using her great strength, threw her against a wall. Molly crashed against it and lay still for a few moments before she rose, baring her fangs and growling like a wolf.
"Now, you die!" Molly snarled.
"After you! Jupiter Thundercloud....ZAP!" yelled Jupiter, hurling another lightning ball at Molly who leaped over it, laughing as she did. Concentrating solely on Jupiter proved to be disastrous as she was attacked from another quarter.
"Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!" shouted Venus, hitting Molly dead center on her chest with her energy blast. Molly screamed from pain and crumpled to the ground.
"Nothing like a little teamwork, eh, partner?" growled Venus. A soft moaning from behind her reminded the Scout of Love about Melvin. She turned and dropped to his side, gasping at the blood oozing from his gashed throat. "Dear Lord! Melvin's still alive! Jupiter! Can you handle Molly alone? I've got to get him to a hospital!"
"No sweat! The others will be here any second! Get him out of here!" ordered Jupiter.
Just as Venus picked up Melvin, she shrieked at a hideous sight before her eyes. Out of nowhere, rats, hundreds upon hundreds of rats streamed down the street in a seemingly endless wave of black fur. Now it was Jupiter, distracted by Venus' scream long enough for Molly to attack her. Grabbing the amazon by her throat, Molly, smiling viciously slammed her against the wall several times then threw the dazed Scout face first into the oncoming sea of vermin and was instantly swallowed by them. Venus, Melvin in her arms, leaped away from the rats.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Jupiter!" cried Venus.
"Yes. And you're next," hissed Molly.
"Mars Fire....IGNITE!"
A massive fireball descended from above, scorching scores of rats who shrieked from agony when it hit and the living sea parted, revealing a stunned Jupiter who slowly stood up. Her uniform ripped and tattered, Jupiter bled from dozens of bites wherever there was exposed flesh, but the Scout of Thunder was alive, and furious.
Moon, Mars and Mercury then dropped to the street, putting themselves between Venus and Molly. Moon, taking in the situation scowled from disgust at seeing the rats.
"Never a cat around when you need one!" growled Moon. "Mercury! Pest control!"
The Scout of Water shuddered as the rats converged but didn't let it show on her face. "Mercury Ice Bubbles....FREEZE!"
At Mercury's command, a thick and freezing mist descended onto the street, and the rats, upon making contact with the fog screeched again, turned tail and ran away, unable to deal with the painfully intense cold.
"Don't just stand there, Venus! Get Melvin out of here!" ordered Moon.
Once Venus left, the Scouts turned their attention to Molly who glared at them, bottomless hatred blazing in her eyes. For several moments, there was nothing but silence until Moon, her guard having dropped, tears in her eyes spoke.
"Oh....Molly."
Molly's hate filled expression suddenly changed and she smiled at the Sailor Scout leader. "Why, hello, Serena. It's really nice to see you again. I'm so glad you could drop in and join the fun. Are you ready to die with your friends?"
Shocked, Mars and Mercury stared at Moon.
"She knows your name? What the hell's going on here?" Mars demanded.
Moon dropped her head. "It's a long story."
"Unfortunately, you will not have the time to tell it. Your time is at an end," a deep, booming voice suddenly intoned from all over the street. "You may have defeated my first wave of terror, but your nightmare has only just begun."
Molly smiled. Her lover heard her cries and came to her side.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a thick, grayish mist swirled up and around Molly, then it slowly coalesced, forming itself into that of a tall, broad shouldered man with long brown hair and dressed from head to toe in black, save for the cleric's collar around his throat. Moon, Mars and Mercury gasped in horror at seeing him, his face all too familiar to them.
"I....I don't believe it!" Mars croaked, her eyes wide. "Hey, guys, am I losing it, or does that creep look like....Nephlyte?"
"But, that's not possible! Nephlyte's dead! We watched him die!" Mercury cried.
"I'm afraid you ladies have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Nikolai Malakhov, but, in the short time you have left in this world, you may call me....The Father," said the Dark Man, putting a protective arm around Molly's shoulders. "This girl you once knew as Molly Baker whom I rescued from the pain and torment of life is now under my protection. For daring to attack her, I will take your miserable little lives. And there isn't a blessed thing you can do to stop me."
Next: Face of the Enemy